Chronic pain ramps up your nervous system this in turn reduces respiration- respiration is particularly affected with pelvic pain as women suffering tend to round forward over the pain. This altering of posture does in itself also limit the ability to breathe as the lungs and diaphragm cannot operate at full function when one is stooped over .

Try it: curl your head and spine forwards and trying doing a diaphragmatic breath. Now try it upright – see the difference?

Try it: Lying on your back take a rolled up towel and place it across your shoulder blades. Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. This mobilises your thoracic spine, opens your chest and encourages improved upright posture. Now use diaphragmatic breathing, inhaling through your nose for a count of 2 and exhaling through your mouth for a count of 4. This will help calm the nervous system, move your diaphragm and relax your upper back.

When we inhale the respiratory diaphragm drops yo help expand our lungs. The  pelvic diaphragm mirrors this and lowers adding mobility and circulation to the pelvic floor – by working to increase the depth of respiration we can improve pelvic floor movement.